Fishing-tackle.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

M. ZIMMERMAN.

FISHING TACKLE.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 1a, 1906.

WI NESS-Es:

MARTIN ZIMMERMAN, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

FISHING-TACKLE- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed October 18.1906- Serial1l'o. 889.437.

To all whom it. may concern;

Be it known that I, MARTIN ZIMMERMAN, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and St ate of New York, have invented a new and Imor spoons for fishing-tackle of this class when formed from asingle sheet of metal have heretofore presented a serious objection in that in side view.

they were unbalanced, and their action upon the tackle therefore was objectionable on ac count of the vibration caused thereby and the resulting unsteadiness in the action of the tackle.

A'further object of my present invention therefore is to provide a twirler or spinner which ma be economically constructed from a s bent om the plane thereof to form su porting-bearings for the twirler. To ben such ears or lugs in the same direction results in the above-mentioned objection in that the twirler is badly out of balance. To overcome these difiiculties, I have devised a twirler having the supporting ears or lugs bent in o posite directions from the lane of the b ank and ha an opening tliiou h the body of the blank, etween the ears or ugs, to receive the supporting-wire. .By means-of this constructionl am enabled to provide a practically balanced spinner or twirler.

The accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, are as follows: Figure 1 shows 111 improved tackle with a minnow or small fish in position thereon, such fish being shown Fig. 2 is a similar view, but with the parts arranged so as to show the back of the fish. Fig. 2 also shows my method of attaching a leader-line to the main tackle. Fi 3 shows a blank struck out to the roper orm to make one of my spoons or twir ers T.

Similar letters refer to similarparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, a fishing-tackle constructed in accordance with my present invention com rises the usual swivel a, connected at its u per end to the line L, as indicated, and to iilie lower end of which there is Fig.

le s eet of metal and with ears or lugs connected a fine wire I; by means of the usu loop which is formed at its up er end-and after there has been inserted t ereover the twirler or spoon T, which in turn is supported u on the knob has indicated. This twirler is formed from a blank such as shown in 3 and comprises the principal sections 15, which are bent to form balanced vanes, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Between these sections t there is formed an ear or lug t, having a hole therethrou h, and at the narrowed upper end t of the b ank there is also bored a ole, and this ear t, at a point a short distance above the hole therethrough, is bent along the dotted line, as indicated, in a direction ractically at right angles to the plane of the lank, while the upper end t of the blank, at a short distance below the hole therethrough, as indicated by the dotted line, is also bent along such dotted line ina direction tactically at right angles with the plane of t e blank, such parts t and t being caused to occup practically arallel planes, but they exten in opposite directions from the body of the'blank,'asindicated in Figs. 1 and 3. The holes in the'parts .t and t lying on opposite sides of the blank T, as indicated, necessitates thatto receive the wire b-there be formed in the blank a slot, as i adapted to receive the wire b as it passes through the holes in the parts it and t.' The parts t and t? when bent up as just above described and with the holes therethrough constitute bear ings for revolubly supporting the spoon or twirlerTuponthewireb.

1 Onaccount of the lots t the vanes t may be readily bent to such a conformation, and especially at their u per ends, as to. secure a practically balance construction, which it is one of the objects of my invention to provide. The result of this is that the twlrler being balanced no matter how rapidly it revolves there is no confusion on account of the vibration and resulting unsteadiness of the tackle, as is the case when an unbalanced twirler is used.

A short distance beneath the knob is the hooks h are connected, on op osite sides, to the wire I), such connection ein made by the connectors j, which are both eXible and elastic and have a tendency when the hooks drawings. The wire b extends downward as seen at b, and terminates at its lower end in an eye or loop e, and through the eye 2 one member of the twin hook 71 1s inserted and brought to the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The manner of using. my fishing-tackle is as follows: The twin hook 1', is removed from the loop e, and the end of the wire containing the loop e is inserted, when a fish is used for bait, through the mouth of the fish F and forced downwardly through the body of the fish and outwardly just to the rear of the ventral fin, and the hooks h are inserted through the gills of the fish. The twin hook '1'. is then inserted in place and the entire device drawn forwardly through the mouth of the fish until the parts assume the positions substantially such as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, with the two members of the hook i lying close up against the body of the fish, approximately in the position indicated, and the hooks h extending outwardly and engaging through and beneath the gills of the fish.

When it is desired to use a leader with my fishing-tackle, leader-eyes 0 may be formed in a suitable wire, as indicated, after the same has been formed around and secured to the wire I) at a point approximately as shown in Fig. 2'. To each of these eyes 6 there may be attached the usual leader-line j, terminating in a hook h, carrying a living bait F, as indicated. Only one of such bait F is partially shown in Fig. 2.

When the bait is arranged as indicated in the drawings and the line is cast, the relative motion between the water and spoon T, in whatever way produced, causes the twirler or spoon T to revolve on the wire 6. This attracts the larger fish, and in their effort to secure the bait, comprising the fish F, they are almost sure to be caught by one of the hooks h or one of the members of the twin hook d.

When it is desired to use leaders with living bait, use may be made of the eyes a, to which leader-lines j may be secured in the usual way and also to hooks, such as h, only one of which is shown and upon which there may be secured a bait, such as shown partially at F.

Attention is especially called to the connectors ff and to the fact that they operate to yieldably hold the hooks h h in operative position, as indicated, at their curved upper ends, and on account of such flexibility and elasticity they are readily ad'ustable to use with fish of different sizes wit in a moderate range.

What I claim is 1. 'In a fishing-tackle, a suitable support and a hook secured thereto by a flexible and elastic connection whereby such hook, when inserted within a bait and extended outwardly throu h an opening therein, may be yieldably hel against the body of such bait.

2. In a fishing-tackle, a suitable support and two hooks each independently secured thereto by a flexible and elastic connection whereby such hooks when inserted within the mouth and outwardly through and behind the gills of a fish impaled thereon may be yieldably held in such position.

3. In a fishing-tackle, a supporting-wire adapted to be inserted through the bait and carrying a permanently-closed loop and a hook removably secured in such loop, the whole device adapted to be drawn forward within the bait toexpose such hook adjacent thereto and such bait, when thus in position thereon, operating to prevent the removal of such hook from such loop.

4. In a fishing-tackle, a supportin -wire adapted to be inserted through the bait and carrying a permanently-closed loop and a twin hook removably secured in such loop, the whole device adapted to be drawn forward Within the bait to expose each member of such twin hook on the sides thereof and such bait, when thus in position thereon, operating to prevent the removal of the twin hook from such loop.

5. In a fishing-tackle, a sup orting-wire, a hook connected thereto and a apted to be inserted within and extend outwardly through a bait impaled thereon, such wire carrying an extension below such hook and adapted to be inserted through the bait and carrying a loop and a hook removably secured in such loop, the Whole device adapted to be drawn forward within the bait when in position to prevent the removal of such last hook and to expose the same adj acent to such bait.

6. In a fishing-tackle, a supporting-wire, a hook secured thereto by a flexible and elastic connection and ada ted to be inserted within and extend outwar ly through a bait impaled thereon, such wire carrying an extension below such hook and adapted to be inserted through the bait and carrying a loop and a hook removably secured in such loop, the whole device ada ted to be drawn forward within the bait w en in position to prevent the removal of such last hook therefrom and to expose the same adjacent to such bait.

7. n a fishing-tackle, a supportin -wire, two hooks each secured thereto by a exible and elastic connection whereby such hooks may be inserted Within the mouth and extend outwardly through and behind the gills of a fish impaled thereon, such wire carryin an extension below such hooks and adapte to be inserted through the fish and carrying a loopI and a twin hook removably secured in suc loop, the whole device adapted to be drawn forward within the fish when in osition to prevent the removal of the twin ook therefrom and adapted to expose each member of such twin hook on the sides of the fish.

8. In a fishing-tackle, a supporting-wire,

two hooks connected thereto and adapted to be inserted within the mouth and extend outwardly through and behind the gills of a fish impaled thereon, such Wire carrying an extension below such hooks and adapted to be inserted through the fish and carrying a loop and a twin hook removably secured in such loop, the whole device adapted to be drawn forward within the fish when in position to prevent the removal of the twin hook therefrom and adapted to expose each member of such twin hook on thesides of the fish.

9. In a fishing-tackle, a wire, a twirler or spoon comprising a blank struck out from a sheet of metal having lugs or ears bent in parallel planes and at practically right angles to the plane of the blank but on opposite sides thereof, such lugs or ears having holes therethrough constituting bearings spaced apart for revolubly supporting such twirler upon such wire, an opening through such twirler to receive such Wire and such twirler having wings formed into curved blades extending obliqlpely outward from a line connectin such oles.

10. n a fishing-tackle, a wire, a twirler or spoon comprising a blank struck out from a sheet of metal having lugs or ears bent in parallel planes and at practically right angles to the plane of the blank but on opposite sides thereof, such lugs 01' ears having holes therethrough constituting bearings spaced apart for revolubly supporting such twirler upon such Wire, and an opening through the body of such twirler between such lugs or ears to receive such wire whereby such twirler may be revolubly supported and balanced on such Wire and such twirler having wings formed into curved blades extending obliquely outward from a line connecting such holes.

MARTIN ZIMMERMAN. Witnesses:

FRANK M. GoFF, LoT'rIE WOOD. 

